Pinyin: Tudangshen
Aliases
Tu Yang Ru, Ye Dang Shen, Tu Ren Shen.
Source
Campanulaceae plant *Campanumoea javanica*CampanumoeajavanicaDried root of Bl.
Botanical Description
A perennial herbaceous twining vine, reaching up to 2 m in length. The rhizome is very short, with a large, fleshy, branched root covered with a pale yellow outer bark. The entire plant is glabrous (hairless), with a white powdery bloom and white latex. Leaves are usually opposite; petioles are nearly as long as the leaf blades; leaf blades are ovate-cordate with a blunt apex, cordate base, and shallow blunt teeth along the margin. Flowers are 1-2, axillary; the calyx tube is short, adnate to the ovary, with 5 deep triangular-lanceolate lobes; the corolla is campanulate, fused with the ovary at the base, 5-lobed to near the middle, with ovate-triangular lobes that are reflexed outward, pale yellowish-green on the outside and purple on the inside near the base; stamens 5, linear, with narrow linear filaments that widen at the base; ovary is semi-inferior, style glabrous, stigma usually 5-lobed. The berry is subglobose, turning black-purple when ripe. Flowering period is August to September, fruiting period is September to October.
Habitat and Distribution
It grows on sunny grassy slopes or in forests at altitudes of 400-1800 m. It is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest in autumn, dig out, wash clean, and sun-dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is cylindrical in shape, with few branches, twisted and not straight, 10-25 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter. The apex has dense dot-like stem scars. The surface is grayish-yellow, with longitudinal wrinkles throughout the body. The texture is hard and brittle, breaking easily. The cross-section is relatively flat, showing an obvious cambium layer. The xylem is yellow, with a relatively high degree of lignification. The odor is faint, and the taste is bland with a slight sweetness.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, neutral. Enters the Spleen and Lung channels.
Functions and Indications
Tonifies the Spleen and supplements Qi, tonifies the Lungs and stops cough, promotes lactation. Indications: internal injury from overstrain, Qi deficiency with fatigue, palpitations, excessive sweating, Spleen deficiency with diarrhea, leukorrhea, scant breast milk, infantile malnutrition, enuresis, and Lung deficiency cough.
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct 15-30 g (dried 9-15 g). External: apply fresh product in appropriate amount, mashed.
Prescriptions
1. For consumptive fatigue: Tu Dang Shen 60 g, glutinous rice 300 g. Decoct in water for oral administration. (Hubei Chinese Herbal Medicine Record) 2. For excessive sweating and palpitations: Tu Dang Shen 15 g. Decoct in water for oral administration. (Hubei Chinese Herbal Medicine Record) 3. For Spleen deficiency with diarrhea: Tu Dang Shen 15-30 g, Chinese date 9-15 g. Decoct in water for oral administration. (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine) 4. For pediatric malnutrition (gan accumulation): fresh Tu Dang Shen 30 g, with an appropriate amount of white sugar. Decoct in water for oral administration. Alternatively, use the decoction to poach 1 fresh egg and take. (Fujian Materia Medica Record) 5. For pediatric enuresis (bedwetting): Tu Dang Shen root 60-120 g, lean pork 120 g. Stew in water, take the soup and eat the meat. (Jiangxi Herbal Medicine)
